Whisky Creek Cabin (Rogue River Trail) 03-May-2018

The plan had been to explore the trail from Hobson Horn toward Silver Peak and the Illinois River. To do so required that the Bear Camp Road – the usual shuttle route for Rogue River backpackers and rafters between Grave Creek and Foster Bar – be open. It wasn’t. It’s still closed by snow (from where?) and may not open until after the Memorial Day holiday. This tidbit of information didn’t surface until after we’d driven to Galice. But it was a beautiful day – one that DEMANDED a hike – so Plan B quickly became an out-and-back hike to visit Kitty Mack at the Whisky Creek Cabin, about 3.6 miles downstream of the put-in at Grave Creek. Yes, Plan B posed some challenges – sunny weather with an artistic hint of clouds; gentle cooling breezes; numerous birds cheeping melodiously; wildflowers blooming; an iconic river flowing; cold, clear side-streams gushing; an obvious tread; no ticks; poison oak well off the trail – but we met these with tightened laces and an extra ration of salmon jerky!